Eskál Vell 29I/8 — lautar ‘dale’
Flótta gekk til fréttar
felli-Njǫrðr á velli;
draugr gat dolga Sôgu
dagráð Heðins váða.
Ok haldboði hildar
hrægamma sá ramma;
Týr vildi þá týna
teinlautar fjǫr Gauta.
Felli-Njǫrðr flótta gekk til fréttar á velli; draugr váða Heðins gat dagráð Sôgu dolga. Ok haldboði hildar sá ramma hrægamma; Týr teinlautar vildi þá týna fjǫr Gauta.
The slaying-Njǫrðr <god> of the fleeing ones [WARRIOR] sought an augury on the field; the log of the clothes of Heðinn <legendary hero> [ARMOUR > WARRIOR] got advice about a favourable day for the Sága <goddess> of enmity [VALKYRIE = Hildr (hildr ‘battle’)]. And the provider of battle [WARRIOR] saw powerful corpse-birds [RAVENS/EAGLES]; the Týr <god> of the sword-dale [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl] wanted to destroy the life of the Gautar then.
readings
[8] ‑lautar: ‑hlautar F, ‘‑lꜹtr’ J1ˣ
notes
[7, 8] Týr teinlautar ‘the Týr <god> of the sword-dale [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]’: The word teinlautar in this kenning has been subject to numerous interpretations. (a) Teinlautar ‘of the sword-dale [SHIELD]’ is assumed here and is one of the explanations considered in LP: teinlaut, ÍF 26 and Hkr 1991. One objection to this interpretation is that teinn ‘twig’, though it is often the base-word of a sword-kenning, is not known as a simplex denoting ‘sword’. In favour of it, however, is the similar hjǫrlaut ‘sword-dale’ in st. 30/4 below, and the fact that other solutions are still more problematic. (b) Týr teins lautar tíra ‘the Týr <god> of the twig of the dale of swords [SHIELD > SWORD > WARRIOR]’ (Fms 12; Vell 1865, 84) can be rejected since it requires emendation of týna to tíra. (c) Týr teinlautar ‘the Týr of the dale of the sacrificial twig [SACRIFICIAL BOWL > SACRIFICIAL PRIEST]’ (given as an alternative in LP: teinlaut, ÍF 26, ÍF 29 and Hkr 1991): Here tein- is equated with hlautteinn ‘sacrificial twig’. However, hlautteinn probably did not occur in the sense ‘sacrificial blood twig’ until the C13th; see (d). (d) Týr teinlautar emended to Týr hlautarteins ‘the Týr of the sacrificial blood twig [SACRIFICIAL PRIEST]’: Although the prose context favours this kenning, this interpretation is not tenable, as all mss give ‘lautar’ except for F. Further, the word hlaut assumed here is otherwise always n., with gen. sg. in ‑s not ‑ar, and its original meaning was probably just ‘lot’ (Düwel 1985, 28). The sense ‘sacrificial blood’ appears to have arisen through Snorri as a Christian reinterpretation (Düwel 1985, 32-8).
kennings
- teinlautar — of the sword-dale [SHIELD]
- Týr teinlautar — the Týr <god> of the sword-dale [WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]
grammar
case: gen.